Lack of funding, safety forces more permanent layoffs at MRCI

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) — MRCI has made the difficult decision to stop services, for now, impacting clients and employees.

The reasons cited: the lack of funding due to the COVID-19 pandemic and not knowing when services can resume safely. MRCI stopped day-to-day operations back in March, temporarily laying off workers and sending clients home. Today, those layoffs of more than 300 staff became more permanent.

CEO Brian Benshoof says MCRI will be back in operation once they can safely do so, but given the lacking of funding, they had to make the staff layoffs more permanent.

“MRCI is gonna survive, you know, but the amount of money that we would not be able to bill because we’re not serving people is in the millions. And we did not get any state aid during this time. And um, we’re just kind not essential. Apparently our biggest concern is for the people we serve obviously. And for me it’s also my staff. You know we have 1300 clients that were not able to serve right now They’re basically living in their group homes and not all doing that Well. You know people that they’re well taken care of, but they want to work and they’re like all of us,” said MRCI CEO Brian Benshoof.